I was thinking how the NL Central would shape up for 2011. Basically, would the Cubs have a chance to recapture the division title?

Cincinnati is the front runner, of course, but just six months ago Baker’s bunch seemed destined for a winning season–not a division championship.

Reds GM Walt Jocketty is quickly delivering on owner Bob Castellini’s promise to return championship baseball back to Cincinnati. Meaning, the once bumbling Reds are now a force to be reckoned with in the NL Central.

Meanwhile, Tony LaRussa’s uncertainty in St. Louis leaves the Cardinals in flux. Houston is improved, but hardly contenders. Milwaukee has just enough offense to float around .500. And Pittsburgh is, well, Pittsburgh.

So where does that leave the Cubs? Hard to tell right now. But the right manager and a few solid additions to the bullpen could potentially keep Chicago on pace with Cincinnati.

However, if Jim Hendry fails to excel in the coming weeks, he’ll once again find himself playing catch-up to Walt Jocketty, something he’s done for a long, long time.

3 Comments

I would be kind of surprised if the Cubs could finish above .500 in 2011. The Reds seem to have alot of young talent that may be hungry enough to win the division again. The Cardinals have good starting pitching, but play bad defense and will have little offense if Pujols doesn’t return. I think the players in St. Louis are kind of sick of LaRussa’s act by now. Milwaukee has a good offense and really bad pitching. Houston is a joke. And Pittsburgh is just a damn disgrace to baseball. Too bad the Pirates owned the Cubs in 2010.

I can understand having a bad year.
Things happen, Lou happens, slumps happen.
But if the Cubs don’t finish above .500 in 2011,
we’re talking about an official sh*t storm on the North Side.
I mean that. If it’s not next year, with this talent, and a new skipper…
that’s serious trouble, friends, especially considering all the back-loaded contracts.
Just thinking about it raises my blood pressure to an unhealthy level!

I think the Cubs are need one more veteran starting pitcher and maybe a proven player at firstbase. Adam Dunn might bring a big bat but he hasn’t played alot of firstbase. Maybe Aramis could be moved to firstbase and let Barney or someone else play third. If the Cubs can take care of the teams in the division that they need to beat(Pittsburgh, Houston) and play at least .500 with the Reds, The Cards and Brewers, then they could go something like 87-75 and get. Anymore, it is going to take over 90 wins to get in the playoffs as a wildcard. So they must win the division to get in. Not out of the question for Cub fans to dream of but the rest of baseball will laugh at us. That’s okay, my dreams are laugh-proof.